THE Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) says residents in the capital have conceded that they made a “huge” mistake by electing MDC-T councillors into office in 2008, accusing them of bleeding the local authority through graft. BY MOSES MATENGA STAFF REPORTER
HRT membership officer Regina Bakuri made the remarks during the relaunch of anti-cholera/typhoid taskforce by Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo in Harare yesterday.
The committee comprises Local Government ministry officials, Defence, Youth, Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Health, Transport, the President’s Office and the District Development Fund, among others.
“This time, we will make a good decision minister, count on me. Now we know we made a wrong decision (of electing MDC-T councillors),” Bakuri said.
Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere, who was also present at the meeting, accused residents of having created a “monster” for themselves by voting for the MDC-T councillors.
He said Harare residents had a taste of their own medicine for discarding Zanu PF and siding with the MDC-T.
“She is raising important issues and now the issue of who becomes councillor becomes important. Sometimes we create these problems ourselves. They are your councillors that you voted for and now you realise what you have done. You are having a taste of your own medicine,” Kasukuwere said.
MDC-T leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai recently accused corrupt party councillors of tarnishing the party image.
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Addressing supporters in Torwood, Redcliff, last week, Tsvangirai said the MDC-T would introduce stringent candidate selection criterion during the forthcoming elections to ensure it was represented by candidates of “good repute”.
The MDC-T fired 12 of its elected councillors and suspended 13 others across the country over corruption allegations.
“In the next elections, we are going to deal decisively with this because we are going to try and select the best candidates. We will get people who have managed to achieve something for themselves because if we take people who have failed in their own personal lives, they will get into office and only use the opportunity to loot resources. That will not be allowed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chombo said the committee would work together with youths so that they clean up the city.
